Chitinases of human parasites and their implications as antiparasitic targets

Contributions ofFrancisella tularensissubsp.novicidaChitinases and Sec Secretion System to Biofilm Formation on Chitin

“…The P. falciparum chitinase allows the parasite to penetrate the chitincontaining peritrophic matrix surrounding the blood meal in the mosquito midgut and establish the infection. Efforts to target this chitinase to block the transmission of malaria are ongoing (66,70). We are currently working to discern the role(s) of F. tularensis chitinases in arthropod vectors.…”

Proventriculus (cardia) plays a crucial role in immunity in tsetse fly (Diptera: Glossinidiae)

“…Our studies on the tsetse proventriculus transcriptome have indicated that at least two peritrophins, GmPro1 and GmPro2, are among the abundantly expressed secretory molecules (Hao and Aksoy, 2002). To bypass this barrier, parasitic eukaryotes including the Plasmodium (Shahabuddin and Vinetz, 1999;Vinetz et al, 2000), the nematode Brugia malayi (Fuhrman et al, 1992) and the kinetoplastid Leishmania (Shakarian and Dwyer, 1998) express a chitinase enzyme which is thought to be important in the digestion of the chitinous matrix for successful establishment in the gut. It remains to be seen if a similar enzyme(s) might be expressed by African trypanosomes during their developmental in the gut.…”

Differential expression of chitinases identify subsets of murine airway epithelial cells in allergic inflammation

“…Chitin, the second most abundant polysaccharide in nature, is found in fungal cell walls, in the exoskeletons of crustaceans and insects, and in the microfilarial sheaths of parasitic nematodes (5,44,45). Chitinase production is a common feature of antiparasite responses of lower life forms against chitin-containing organisms (19,31).…”